1. DB Systel Information Communications Technology service provider for Deutsche Bahn The standard Test Management Tool, based on HP Quality Center, gives us transparency regarding test progress and the quality of our software releases, it also reduces our reporting costs and makes it easier to control our service providers. Dr. Eberhard Kurz, CIO Passenger Transport at Deutsche Bahn Objective DB Systel has gone to great lengths to standardise its testing environment. Previously, there was no integrated, universal test platform that covered all projects from request, through test specification, to error management and standard build-to-run tests. Employees learned how to use testing tools for specific projects, but this reduced flexibility in terms of project implementation. Time and costs for the evaluation of testing tools were being incurred. HP customer case study: Universal test management Approach for all projects DB Systel implemented HP Quality Center (QC) Industry: as a standard test management tool for all Service provider current and future projects. Uniformity is ensured by linking HP Service Center to the tools for requirement management and IT service provider DB Systel designs, implements and software-supported incident management, operates software for leading international transport whilst the HP Quality Center Dashboard module and logistics service provider, Deutsche Bahn. To align provides the necessary transparency. its software production more closely with industry standards, an integrated Test Management Tool (TMT) for quality assurance has been used throughout the IT improvements company since 2008. Uniform error management system with a comprehensive error database, reduces the The company has around 5,000 employees whose number of repeated errors. duties range from developing software to operating data centres. The Development Centre is responsible Reduction of delays as several employees can for technical architecture, design and implementation work in parallel on the same tests. and software testing. Together with the Competence By using HP Quality Center, DB Systel has Centre, it delivers approximately 1,500 years in increased its Capability Maturity Model consulting and development services in the areas of Integration (CMMI) rating from two to three. individual and standard software. Over 500 processes are developed, refined and maintained. Business benets When it comes to rail traffic safety, the Federal Due to high reliability and increased security it Railway Authority is ruthless; every single function of has achieved low expenditure and cost savings. every item of software used in business-critical areas In extensive development projects, with new of Deutsche Bahn must be successfully tested prior to versions constantly appearing, redundancy is at 60 to 80 per cent, whilst across all projects it is 10 to 20 per cent.

2. Therefore, DB Systel decided to introduce a standard We now make very few expensive software platform for the entire testing department. This mistakes in the earlier development was intended to complete the standardisation of the testing process and to be mandatory for all software phases, such as during the design phase, projects, replacing the other tools. Existing tests were because we can take countermeasures in to be migrated to the new environment, and the new tool integrated as seamlessly as possible. Although good time. we already had defined comprehensive management processes, we still needed a software platform that Gunnar Rhl, senior vice president of the worked in an equally standardised way, comments Development Center at DB Systel Klaus Metzlaff, head of the Development Centre, Quality Assurance and responsible for central process management in the testing department at DB Systel. To enable functional Graphical User Interface (GUI) tests to run automatically, DB Systel was using DBS Test automation, a solution developed in-house using HP LoadRunner for load and performance testing. Rhl also promised that a central Test Management implementation. Furthermore, this procedure must be Tool would make it possible for the new test software repeated every time such a programme is modified. projects to be set up centrally. This means that, when projects are forwarded to the project teams, you To meet its customers long term high expectations, DB already have a series of basic tests that are the same Systel has clearly relied upon defined standards for for all projects, explains Rhl. processes and structures: the benchmark for software development is Capability Maturity Model Integration Service providers have complete (CMMI), whilst IT operating processes are handled according to the IT Infrastructure Library (ITIL). As mastery of the software tools Gunnar Rhl, senior vice president of the Development The decision to introduce a standard TMT was made Center at DB Systel explains: This enables us to at the end of 2005. DB Systel then began to look for guarantee high quality for our working results and a suitable tool. At the same time it also had to find transparency for our processes. a suitable service provider; one that would need to be very familiar with the selected tool and bring with Rhls long-term objective is to achieve a largely it demonstrable expertise in the implementation of automated testing and development environment. In equally challenging test environments. HP Quality order to achieve this he wanted to make software tests Center was finally chosen as the comprehensive more standardised and transparent. Even though there test platform. The design and implementation was was already a central process management system in to be handled by professional software testing and the testing department, and a test process library, the consulting company, C1 SetCon. central test management activities were not reproduced in the form of software. A standard test infrastructure We realised that using a standard TMT would enable encompassing all projects and all stages was missing. us to reduce software development costs, explains The individual project teams were able to select their Detlef Exner, chairman of the board of DB Systel. test documentation tools themselves, which costs time and money. The problem was that the results, or tests The TPN train paths portal from the individual projects, were virtually impossible Producing and maintaining the software for the to reproduce because of the different tools used. It was Deutsche Bahn train paths portal is one of DB Systels very difficult to compare the efficiency and success of most complex projects. A train path is the infrastructure individual projects. Employees who switched from one capacity needed to run a train between two places project to another had to relearn how to work within a over a given time period. This means that several train new tool environment. paths usually run along the same track throughout the New, centrally implemented software projects, when course of a day. The regulations state that each of the they are forwarded to the project teams, already have several hundred external rail companies which use a range of basic functions common to all projects. the Deutsche Bahn rail network must be able to order Therefore the software-supported management a train path via the portal at any time. Approximately varies between each specific project only in special 30 per cent of train paths are accounted for by functions, explains Rhl. regular, recurrent traffic, mainly passenger trains. The 2

3. remaining 70 per cent consists of special traffic, in particular freight trains. These need to be merged into Customer solution at a glance the overall traffic and must be ordered by Deutsche Primary software Bahns customers up to 24 hours before the scheduled HP Quality Center departure. If the portal fails, this would breach HP Service Center regulations; nobody would be able to order a train HP Quality Center Dashboard module path and the railway would lose train path sales. HP Performance Center HP Loadrunner The continuity of the test solution across projects and phases and the associated efficiency and cost benefits were convincing, as was progress towards process automation. The management supported the implementation, and not just by authorising the Each software project was able to determine a introduction of the tool for the entire two years securing timeframe for the migration process. This participation- a significant budget for the project. What mattered based approach increased motivation for those more was that the management was clearly behind involved, explains Michael Bangel, head of the the project for the entire period, which underlined the Technology Centre, Testing at DB Systel, who had importance of the project and motivated the staff. It operational responsibility for the Test Management meant that team leaders in the individual project teams Tool project. Each project now pays a flat fee for use of no longer needed to hold basic discussions about tool TMT, irrespective of the number of users. migration. A number of suitable pilot projects lent themselves to In 2006, staff from C1 SetCon and DB Systel large-scale implementation. I wanted to select large developed and tested the migration concept. The most and important projects, says Rhl. If the project you suitable way of organising the implementation was in choose is too straightforward, new challenges often the form of a project. The project team comprised up to arise during implementation in more complex areas. six employees from the two companies. The integration The software for ticket sales was selected which is expert played a significant role in the implementation operated by rail advisers in service centres on their methodology. We know from similar projects that it is screens when customers are ordering their tickets. The crucial for future tool users to be convinced at an early second pilot project was the Train Path Portal (TPN) stage, otherwise such a project is very difficult to carry where migration ran smoothly in both projects. The out, emphasises Dr. Stephan Fassbender. existing tests could be restructured in Excel and from Although we had already defined comprehensive there implemented in HP Quality Center. Both projects management processes, we still needed a software succeeded in migrating to the new environment by the platform that worked in an equally standardised way, end of 2006. explains Klaus Metzlaff. Strong push for rollout Consultation increases motivation The next stage was the rollout across the board. Of Extensive information and motivational events were the 80 or so software projects of varying scale, four or held at the outset. These explained why migration to five were to be migrated to the new test platform every a standard tool is a useful and beneficial process, month. As users were able to coordinate the schedule even if many employees and projects need to adapt to suit their own test phases, the completion deadline their current working methods. Additional workshops planned for the end of 2007 was deferred until April were held in each target group for project-specific 2008. We had very few problems, because the users adaptation of the tool and for user training. could see that their needs were being respected, recalls Susanne Meyer-Fehlhaber, project manager at An aspect that was crucial to the successful DB Systel. introduction of the tool throughout the company was standardisation. Many clearly defined areas of the test Every project migration started with a two-hour platform are uniform across all projects, whilst very customising workshop for project managers, test few have to be modified by the project teams. Reports managers and key users, at which the rollout managers were to have standardised formats. Communication, explained the tool and demonstrated the options user interfaces, roles and metrics for higher-level available for adapting it. Participants learned how control were to be the same in all projects. Every effort many users would use the new tool, the number of was made to leave as many HP Quality Center core tests between a few hundred and tens of thousands functions unchanged as possible, thereby keeping depending on the project and the anticipated the overall system in cost-effective operation and migration timescale. compatible with new upgraded versions. 3

4. The TMT project team then prepared the project-specific prototype from a standardised TMT template and C1 SetCon - the success factor modified it, where possible and permitted, according C1 SetCon is part of the C1 Group. The business to the user specifications. After importing the tests, the was formed at the beginning of 2005 and users were instructed on their future roles in the test specialises in software development and in quality process and in operating the tool. The duration of such assurance. With over 70 highly trained consultants a rollout phase was two to four weeks for each project. and IT specialists, C1 SetCon enjoys great success in many different industries. By focussing on core Greater transparency issues, such as professional software testing, C1 We now enjoy far greater transparency in software SetCon can offer its customers particularly innovative testing, explains Rhl happily. There is now an error and cost-effective solutions as well as sound strategic management system with standardised reporting for advice. In the Test Management Tool project for all projects, in which all errors and their processing DB Systel, C1 SetCon was in control at all stages: status are documented. Therefore, repeat errors and from design, tool customising, rollout strategy and mail communication can be avoided. The automated implementation, to user training. www.c1-setcon.de integration of data from projects gives visibility across all projects, including the development phases in which most errors occur. We now make very few costly if necessary. As far as its customer Deutsche Bahn mistakes in the earlier development phases, such as is concerned, this is clear evidence that DB Systel is during the design phase, because we can take action offering a professional service. in good time, explains Rhl. The advantages of TMT are so convincing that The HP Quality Center Dashboard tool summarises HP Quality Center is now also used in software the development status of all software projects at DB projects for parent company, Deutsche Bahn. The Systel and displays the results graphically. This enables standard TMT based on HP Quality Center, gives both project managers and other key decision-makers us transparency regarding test progress and the to obtain rapid information about work progress. They quality of our software releases, it also reduces our can see at a glance whether all the main processes are reporting costs and makes it easier to control our in the green area, or if there are problems. service providers, comments Dr. Eberhard Kurz, CIO Passenger Transport at Deutsche Bahn. Improved testing with HP Quality Gunnar Rhl still has many plans for the testing Center infrastructure based predominantly on HP tools: We Security and confidentiality are assured with HP want to develop it further in breadth and depth. A tool Quality Center which maintains an extremely simple yet for demand management is currently being evaluated. intelligent role concept, whereby each user sees only the Furthermore, HP Quality Center has been linked to the information that he or she needs to see. This means that existing solutions for GUI test automation, an in-house summarised management information is reserved for development, and HP LoadRunner. As DB Systel also administrative levels that need it for their work. Thanks uses an HP solution for incident management, future to HP Quality Center and other measures, we have now events registered by this tool may flow directly back risen from CMMI Level 2 to CMMI Level 3, says Rhl. to the HP Quality Center error management system. This means that all processes are closely merged and This means that problems resulting from software made transparent by IT tools, enabling management to errors are remedied at their root. We are gradually obtain a current view at all times of the main processes, getting closer to our long-term objective of having an as well as their effect on the business result, and respond automated test environment, concludes Rhl. Share with colleagues Get connected www.hp.com/go/getconnected Get the insider view on tech trends, alerts, and HP solutions for better business outcomes 2010 Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. The only warranties for HP products and services are set forth in the express warranty statements accompanying such products and services. Nothing herein should be construed as constituting an additional warranty. HP shall not be liable for technical or editorial errors or omissions contained herein. 4AA3-1212EEW, Created September 2010